Studying find out how to transfer Lightroom to a brand new laptop may sound like a scary proposition to many photographers. However, since we modify computer systems each three to 5 years, it’s unavoidable. That’s the reason I deal with it as a part of my pictures workflow.
Since I began utilizing Lightroom, I’ve migrated my Lightroom catalog at the least 4 instances. At this time, I give you my methodical, step-by-step strategy..
First, I don’t deal with my Lightroom setup as a monolith set up; it’s extra like a multi-piece entity with its elements scattered throughout completely different corners of my laptop.
Let me clarify.
I hold my Lightroom set up with the grasp catalog, configuration information, and previews on my main SSD (stable state drive) exhausting drive. This can be very quick however comparatively small at solely 500 GB. Which means I can’t retailer my whole picture library (a complete of 5 TB) subsequent to my grasp catalog.
I’ve a traditional exhausting drive (8 TB) devoted to my picture library.
Lastly, I hold my Lightroom catalog backups on a separate exhausting drive the place I retailer all my archived information and the sources I don’t use regularly.
I deal with the method of migrating Lightroom to a brand new laptop as a multistep course of the place I handle the completely different elements of the Lightroom setup individually.
Methods to Transfer Lightroom to a New Laptop
The method of migrating Lightroom to a brand new laptop might be damaged down into 8 steps, two of that are non-compulsory.
- Step 1 – Install Lightroom
- Step 2 – Switch the Picture Library to a brand new laptop
- Step 3 – Transfer Lightroom Catalog from previous laptop
- Step 4 – Port Configuration and Settings
- Step 5 – Re-link the lacking folders
- Step 6 – Migrate Lightroom Preset Library
- Step 7 – Convey Preview Information (non-compulsory step)
- Step 8 – Convey Catalog Backups (non-compulsory step)
Whenever you handle every element individually, the entire course of turns into very logical and uncomplicated.
Step 1: Set up Lightroom
Earlier than putting in Lightroom, you could set up the Inventive Cloud utility in your new laptop.
Login to your Adobe Inventive Cloud account utilizing internet browser, obtain and set up the Inventive Cloud app.
After putting in the Inventive Cloud app, launch the desktop Inventive Cloud utility and navigate to All Apps part.
Subsequent, deploy Lightroom Traditional by hitting the Set up button from the Inventive Cloud app.
As you most likely know, Inventive Cloud means that you can set up Lightroom on two completely different computer systems (Mac and PC). When you’ve got already put in and activated Lightroom on two computer systems, you could go to the Inventive Cloud internet portal (Plans & Cost tab) and disconnect considered one of your installations.
TIP: Just be sure you don’t disconnect the pc from which you’re at present performing the migration. You’ll need to entry it a number of instances all through the migration course of.
In my case, I’ve Lightroom activated on my PC desktop and on my Mac laptop computer (I’m in strategy of switching from PC to Mac). After I begin the migration course of, I deactivate my PC Desktop set up in order that I can use Lightroom on my Mac and new computer systems in the course of the migration.
Step 2: Migrate Your Picture Library
Earlier than you begin shifting your picture library to a brand new laptop, make sure that it’s properly organized.
I’ve a devoted tutorial the place I define my Lightroom picture group and library construction that I take advantage of in my pictures. The thought behind
This organizational model makes it extremely easy to again up your pictures. It additionally makes it simple to maneuver your whole library from one location to a different.
You should have issue managing your library in case your pictures are scattered throughout completely different drives and directories.
Earlier than beginning the migration, I strongly suggest you conform your picture library to a one-directory construction.
TIP: Ensure to prepare your library from inside Lightroom utilizing the Folders Panel within the Library Module. When you use Explorer (Win) or Finder (Mac) to maneuver your picture information round, Lightroom won’t be able to trace these adjustments.
As soon as your library is so as, use an exterior exhausting drive to repeat your whole library to your new laptop.
In case you are migrating your Lightroom set up to a laptop computer with inadequate exhausting drive area, use an exterior exhausting drive to retailer your whole picture library. Ensure the exterior exhausting drive is high-speed and dependable. You’ll find a few of my exhausting drive suggestions right here: Finest Exterior Exhausting Drives for Photographers
Step 3: Migrate the Lightroom Catalog
The subsequent step is to maneuver the catalog file to a brand new laptop. The Lightroom Catalog is a database the place the appliance shops details about the pictures and their group.
Associated: Methods to Export Lightroom Presets
It’s not all the time simple to find a catalog file as a result of, generally, it’s buried deep inside your laptop’s set up folders. Luckily, Lightroom supplies us with a shortcut to an energetic catalog location.
Methods to Discover Lightroom Catalog Location
Listed here are the steps to pinpoint the Lightroom catalog location:
From the highest menu, choose EDIT (Lightroom on Mac) > Catalog Settings… Go to the Common tab and click on the SHOW button. This can take you to the listing the place the Lightroom catalog resides.
The Lightroom catalog has an .lrcat extension.
You’ll need to repeat the catalog file to your new laptop.
I extremely suggest that you just hold your catalog file in your quickest drive, ideally on a solid-state drive (SSD).
Step 4: Copy Configuration Settings
Lightroom combines all of the settings, configuration information, and presets underneath the Lightroom Settings listing.
The listing incorporates an enormous quantity of data associated to your Lightroom Catalog. It shops import and export presets, metadata presets, key phrase units, and so forth. If you don’t import all of the configuration info to your new set up, it will probably take weeks and even months to recreate it. Importing the listing is a necessary step of the migrating course of.
In my case, I take advantage of one catalog group and all my configuration information are positioned subsequent to my catalog file.
You should copy the whole Lightroom Settings folder to a brand new laptop and place them in a brand new catalog folder.
Step 5: Re-link the New Catalog with the Picture Library
When you will have accomplished the 4 earlier steps, you’re able to launch your imported Lightroom Catalog on a brand new laptop.
The possibility that the file construction in your new machine is similar to your previous one could be very slim. Which means Lightroom received’t be capable of discover your pictures as a result of they’re saved in a special location.
Associated: My Prime 15 Lightroom Workflow Suggestions
Whenever you see a query mark subsequent to a folder contained in the Lightroom Library module, which means it has no concept the place to search out them and that you might want to re-link the lacking folders to level them to a brand new picture location.
The excellent news is that you just do not need to do that for each folder. All it’s important to do is right-click on the high of the dad or mum folder and level to the brand new location the place you positioned the picture library in Step 2. Lightroom will do the remainder by mapping all of the folders to their new places.
Step 6: Migrating Lightroom Preset Library
After Adobe modified the format of Lightroom presets in 2018 from .lrtemplate to .xmp, the situation of develop preset information on a pc exhausting drive isn’t all the time apparent.
Since XMP presets are shared between Lightroom and Photoshop, by default, presets are imported to Adobe Inventive RAW (ACR) utility. It is smart as a result of the presets might be accessed by Lightroom and Photoshop from a single location.
However for those who change the Lightroom settings and test the field Retailer presets with this catalog (what I do), the imported presets can be saved subsequent to the Lightroom catalog.
What it means is that Lightroom presets might be saved in other places in your exhausting drive. Generally, particular person presets from the identical group (assortment) might be saved in numerous places. It doesn’t have an effect on your workflow if you use preset-based enhancing however will trigger a headache when you might want to migrate your whole preset library to a different laptop.
Right here is my answer.
Use the brand new Lightroom performance ‘Export Group’ to export the whole preset group. Lightroom collects presets, even when they’re positioned in numerous places, and zip them into one single file.
Whenever you import them to Lightroom on a special laptop, all of the presets from the identical group can be saved in a single location.
It’s an effective way to wash up your preset group.
Step 7: Migrate Previews (Non-obligatory Step)
The best way Lightroom works is that for every picture you import to catalog, it creates a preview file(s) or a JPEG model of your authentic picture. Relying in your preferences, Lightroom may create a full-size JPEG model of your RAW file plus a smaller model for those who use Good Previews performance. The preview information are a necessary a part of Lightroom’s non-destructive RAW workflow.
I do know that many photographers copy their authentic preview information to a brand new laptop, however I by no means do.
In Lightroom Preferences, you may specify how lengthy you need to hold full-size previews earlier than they’re discarded. Due to the restricted disk area on my main SSD drive, I take advantage of the 30-day possibility. Which means if I don’t use a selected picture for longer than 30 days, Lightroom discards its preview.
However, I discover that Lightroom doesn’t handle this selection very properly. Over a interval of months, the preview folder dimension grows uncontrolled and I’ve to manually delete the previews to recuperate useful disk area.
The migration course of offers me a chance to start out the preview technology course of from scratch with out importing any pointless information.
When I’m completed with the migration, I can start recreating preview information as I would like them through the use of the guide methodology in Library Module.
TIP: Mix Steps 3, 4 and 5 into one
motion
Since Lightroom shops the Catalog, Settingsand Previews contained in the catalog folder, it is smart to mix steps 3, 4 and 5 right into a single transfer by copying the whole catalog folder with all its content material to a brand new laptop.
Step 8: Transfer Catalog Backups (Non-obligatory Step)
Lightroom has built-in performance to again up the catalog information in case the grasp catalog is corrupt. That is crucial as a result of the catalog information include years of collected info. When you lose it, will probably be a catastrophe.
See additionally: Methods to Batch Edit in Lightroom
In my case, the backup course of is about to a weekly schedule. Nonetheless, you may configure it to a special frequency.
By default, Lightroom shops catalog backup information contained in the Catalog folder.
However, it’s extremely beneficial that you just use a special location out of your grasp drive the place the catalog resides. The logic right here is that in case your grasp drive fails, you’ll have an intact backup on one other drive.
Whereas importing backup information to a brand new set up is beneficial, it’s not crucial.
Within the 12 years that I’ve used Lightroom, I’ve by no means had any points with catalog information so I’m not very paranoid on this regard.
After I full the migration course of and every thing seems to be good, I create the primary backup on a brand new laptop, which is greater than sufficient for me. Plus, I all the time have a couple of variations of the catalog backup saved on my Backblaze cloud.
FAQ: Methods to Transfer Lightroom to a New Laptop
What if my new laptop has a special working system?
No worries in case your new laptop has a special system, like switching from Home windows to Mac. I did it earlier than, and it’s not a giant deal. The settings in Lightroom (catalog, presets and configuration information) work easily on each programs, so you may simply transfer them with none points.
Simply keep in mind, the Inventive Cloud app and Lightroom set up are usually not common. It is advisable set up them primarily based on whether or not your laptop is a Mac or PC. After that, you may transfer your pictures, catalog, and settings with none issues
Is it attainable to maneuver Lightroom to a brand new laptop with out an web connection?
You initially want an web connection to put in the Inventive Cloud and Lightroom purposes from the Adobe web site. Nonetheless, as soon as put in, you may transfer your current Lightroom catalog, pictures, and settings to the brand new laptop without having a continuing web connection.
How do I transfer my pictures to the brand new laptop with out shedding any edits?
To maneuver your pictures to a brand new laptop with out shedding any edits, make sure that to know the place your edits are saved. Relying in your Lightroom settings, edits are both saved within the Lightroom Catalog or as XMP information subsequent to particular person photos, utilizing the identical file names.
To protect your edits, switch your previous Lightroom Catalog and the whole picture library, together with the unique picture information and any related XMP information, to the brand new laptop. This ensures that every one edits are maintained if you open Lightroom on the brand new laptop.
Methods to Transfer Lightroom to a New Laptop | Conclusion
Shifting the Lightroom Catalog to a brand new location is a severe enterprise and is usually a disastrous expertise if finished flawed. However for those who comply with the outlined steps, the method can be painless and might be accomplished very quickly in any respect!